Top positive review

I am an amateur photographer and own three DSLR cameras with a selection of lenses. However that collection does not eliminate the need for a handy item for just daily needs. I keep this one especially in my car's glove box as a reserve for occasions which require something better than my cell phone camera. For that purpose it meets my expectations and even exceeds it. Yet, this is still a snap shot device with a relatively low price tag and therefore a DSLR level quality (like background blurring, high shutter speed, high level of low light performance etc.)should not be expected.

Pros:

-Lightweight slim and stylish design: It can fit in small spaces and look and feel like a high quality item.

-USB charging ability: That is one of the selling points for me. I keep it in my car and I don't want to run out of power any time or go through the hassle of removing the battery and charging it separately ,which requires carrying the charging adapter all the time and also the ability to plug in that adapter. Instead. all I do is to connect it to my 12V car USB charger and it pretty quickly accumulates good amount of charge level... It comes with a wall adapter (5V 0.5A) which connects to a detachable USB cable (so you can use the cable and attach it to any USB charger). But be careful about the USB cable. The standard USB-micro B cable that charges most mobile devices do not work for this type. If you need a replacement or an extra you need to buy a USB-UC E6 cable.

-Easy menu mode: Practicality should be the main focus in a snapshot device and even my grandfather could get through this menu. One of the most user-friendly interfaces I have seen so far.

-Panoramic shoot ability: That was a surprise for me. I had not read the product description in detail before buying and that was such a handy function. I used to take panoramic photos by taking tens of photos with my DSLR and stiching them with a software which was both difficult and time consuming. This function does it instantly and produces comparable quality photos.

-5X optical zoom: When it comes to zooming, in photographic terms, the less is often more. The best lenses even come with no zoom at all. However for a practical item like this, zoom is essential and 5X is a good range for the optical zoom (it is also critical that you compare the optical zoom capacities of devices and not the digital zoom before making a judgement.)

-Image quality: As I said above, it does not match the quality of a DSLR and I don't care about the high pixel size either. For cameras with small sensor sizes like snapshots, it is actually better to get a low MP device for sharper images, but this one not bad at all especially in daylight. HD Video quality is also good but again depends on the light...

-Price: the $78 price tag as of august 2014 makes it one of the most affordable snapshot cameras in the market. You can get better deals from time to time but this is quite appealing too.

Cons:

-Low light performance: Again, I want to stress that I am not expecting professional quality from this device, but I found the low light performance moderate at best. The noise was somewhat irritating even with flash.

-Slow shutter speed: It has a continuous shooting mode which is supposed to take multiple frames in a short time as long as the shutter button is depressed. However this device has a long long refractory period between shoots that it is not even worth bothering with that mode. You need to decrease the image quality 3 steps to be able to notice some multiple shooting effect and that is not worth it. So if you wish to take a photo of a flying bird or a running person or a passing by car, you don't have much choice to take multiple photos and decide later.

-Zoom buttons: I like the zoom to be a ring style beneath the shutter button but this is like a plus and minus at the back which is not very convenient.

-No optical viewfinder: This is not a problem for this model only. Most recent cameras sacrifice from an optical viewfinder and all you get is a digital image on the screen to help you adjust your photo before taking it. First of all it does not give the sense of taking a photo but more importantly digital screen viewfinder drains battery and also performs bad in bright light.

-Video focusing sound: While recording video of a closely located object (where there is a constant need to re-adjust autofocusing) and if the surrounding is silent, you can hear the sound of focus adjustments in your recording. But as I said that is only obvious in full silence and for short distance recordings.

Overall you like it or not depends on your expectations. For me it is a handy and adequately performing device with quite useful features. I am happy with this purchase

Top critical review

3.0 out of 5 starsand would recommend trying to get something better because blurred photos can ...

ByAKMon January 2, 2018

I bought this camera 2 years ago, and it is JUST OKAY. I have to hold it very steady and even then the shutter speed seems too slow as I have a lot of blurred pics. There is one small thing that there is really no need for and that the USB cable is not standard and I had to buy a spare just to connect to a PC or charge; so you have to use their cable and not the same one you would use for your phone or Echo, Etc. If I had to do it all over I would have selected another camera, and would recommend trying to get something better because blurred photos can be very disappointing.

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I am an amateur photographer and own three DSLR cameras with a selection of lenses. However that collection does not eliminate the need for a handy item for just daily needs. I keep this one especially in my car's glove box as a reserve for occasions which require something better than my cell phone camera. For that purpose it meets my expectations and even exceeds it. Yet, this is still a snap shot device with a relatively low price tag and therefore a DSLR level quality (like background blurring, high shutter speed, high level of low light performance etc.)should not be expected.

Pros:

-Lightweight slim and stylish design: It can fit in small spaces and look and feel like a high quality item.

-USB charging ability: That is one of the selling points for me. I keep it in my car and I don't want to run out of power any time or go through the hassle of removing the battery and charging it separately ,which requires carrying the charging adapter all the time and also the ability to plug in that adapter. Instead. all I do is to connect it to my 12V car USB charger and it pretty quickly accumulates good amount of charge level... It comes with a wall adapter (5V 0.5A) which connects to a detachable USB cable (so you can use the cable and attach it to any USB charger). But be careful about the USB cable. The standard USB-micro B cable that charges most mobile devices do not work for this type. If you need a replacement or an extra you need to buy a USB-UC E6 cable.

-Easy menu mode: Practicality should be the main focus in a snapshot device and even my grandfather could get through this menu. One of the most user-friendly interfaces I have seen so far.

-Panoramic shoot ability: That was a surprise for me. I had not read the product description in detail before buying and that was such a handy function. I used to take panoramic photos by taking tens of photos with my DSLR and stiching them with a software which was both difficult and time consuming. This function does it instantly and produces comparable quality photos.

-5X optical zoom: When it comes to zooming, in photographic terms, the less is often more. The best lenses even come with no zoom at all. However for a practical item like this, zoom is essential and 5X is a good range for the optical zoom (it is also critical that you compare the optical zoom capacities of devices and not the digital zoom before making a judgement.)

-Image quality: As I said above, it does not match the quality of a DSLR and I don't care about the high pixel size either. For cameras with small sensor sizes like snapshots, it is actually better to get a low MP device for sharper images, but this one not bad at all especially in daylight. HD Video quality is also good but again depends on the light...

-Price: the $78 price tag as of august 2014 makes it one of the most affordable snapshot cameras in the market. You can get better deals from time to time but this is quite appealing too.

Cons:

-Low light performance: Again, I want to stress that I am not expecting professional quality from this device, but I found the low light performance moderate at best. The noise was somewhat irritating even with flash.

-Slow shutter speed: It has a continuous shooting mode which is supposed to take multiple frames in a short time as long as the shutter button is depressed. However this device has a long long refractory period between shoots that it is not even worth bothering with that mode. You need to decrease the image quality 3 steps to be able to notice some multiple shooting effect and that is not worth it. So if you wish to take a photo of a flying bird or a running person or a passing by car, you don't have much choice to take multiple photos and decide later.

-Zoom buttons: I like the zoom to be a ring style beneath the shutter button but this is like a plus and minus at the back which is not very convenient.

-No optical viewfinder: This is not a problem for this model only. Most recent cameras sacrifice from an optical viewfinder and all you get is a digital image on the screen to help you adjust your photo before taking it. First of all it does not give the sense of taking a photo but more importantly digital screen viewfinder drains battery and also performs bad in bright light.

-Video focusing sound: While recording video of a closely located object (where there is a constant need to re-adjust autofocusing) and if the surrounding is silent, you can hear the sound of focus adjustments in your recording. But as I said that is only obvious in full silence and for short distance recordings.

Overall you like it or not depends on your expectations. For me it is a handy and adequately performing device with quite useful features. I am happy with this purchase

1010 comments|
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I wasn't expecting much from this, I only wanted a camera that was a) cheap and b) would provide a better quality image than the average smart phone camera. But the image quality is truly amazing. I will upload a few customer images of my hiking trip as an example. An SD card is absolutely necessary, the internal storage can only hold 3 maximum quality images.

I did have one problem with the camera, the battery that came with it refused to take a charge. Amazon made up for this by offering me a 40% refund to buy a new battery, and the battery was much cheaper than the $31 refund I got so this issue wasn't even reason enough to take a star off. Overall great camera and great customer service from Amazon.

I've only owned this for a month and only used it for 2 days for a hiking trip so I can't speak on long term survival of this camera. I will update my review if I have any other issues. Be sure to check for my customer images if you want an idea of the maximum image quality.

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It delivers on being a high definition, easy to use point-and-click camera. Its Programmed Exposure mode is perfect for warm photos and scenery while its Auto Tracking mode is best for taking clear crisp movement shots. I was able to take shots of cars speeding along the road with zero blur.

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I bought this camera 2 years ago, and it is JUST OKAY. I have to hold it very steady and even then the shutter speed seems too slow as I have a lot of blurred pics. There is one small thing that there is really no need for and that the USB cable is not standard and I had to buy a spare just to connect to a PC or charge; so you have to use their cable and not the same one you would use for your phone or Echo, Etc. If I had to do it all over I would have selected another camera, and would recommend trying to get something better because blurred photos can be very disappointing.

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in taking video: blurs the video every few seconds. totally unexplained...there was no movement distortion as it was stabilized on a tripod. Happened every time video was shot. Of course it was returned.

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So far so good. Similar to my last digital camera, a different brand, easy to start using. One reviewer mentioned the buttons were a bit difficult....that is correct. They are small and recessed. I was glad I was aware before purchasing. Unless you buy an additional charger, you charge the battery in the camera. Handy at times but I prefer to remove the battery for charging. Again, I was aware prior to purchasing. Very happy with the camera. Takes great pictures, price was good. It is in my bag at all times. Takes great videos and they seem less shaky than my previous camera, another brand. Be aware though, this must be shipped to a physical address rather than a post office box because of the battery.

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I wanted a small camera to take everyday pictures with that would fit in my purse. I wasn't happy with my low quality iPhone 5 pics - this is a great quality photo for the price. I'll include two pics - one taken with the camera and one taken with my iPhone. Same lighting

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Perfect for my 9 year old! I didn't want to spend a fortune on a camera for him in case he loses it, and this had such great reviews so I thought I'd give it a try. It takes very clear pictures and it's light weight. I hope he doesn't end up losing it! Great camera, especially for the price!

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I got tired of taking photos with my phone , i wanted a real camera , that had a real zoom . I have a number of very expensive SLR's but they are heavy to carry around all the time . This is the perfect mix of convenient and efficient . To look at copies of your photos , all you have to do is simply take the card out of the camera and put it into your computer , and you have them ready to transfer to your hard drive . plus if you want you can use a cable like you would do with a phone . it is a cheap camera , but it takes expensive photos . it doesn't do the same as my $3000.oo NIKON's , and the reviews here seem to think it should . but to take great snap shot photos it is as good as any cell phone camera , and it very small easy to carry thus you are going to take more photos that you would not do other wise , even with a cell phone camera . For what it is designed for , it gets 5 gold stars